“Have couple friends, and do fun outings with them.” “Make sure you have a core group of girlfriends.” “Make play dates for your kids. Join a ‘mommy and me’ group.” We have so many people offering us this advice — not to mention the social media feed of happy couples doing happy things all of...
Looking back 10 years, we met love in a completely different way than we do today. Dating apps, social media and video calls have made it much easier for us to meet new people. Our dating habits are, as many other things, changing in time. Experts from the global dating app happn have predicted the...
On one particularly uneventful day, Elizabeth Pape looked out her window from her sofa to find a group of women sprinting up and down her street. “They’d run to the stop sign, turn around, run back,” she said. “I was like, ‘What are these girls doing?’” Leading the pack was the petite Krissy Mueller, a...
The word empathy is receiving a lot of attention. Educators list empathy as a 21st Century skill that is essential to instill in children today. Empathy can be defined as the ability to deeply connect with others by looking at the world through their eyes in order to understand their thoughts, feelings, and actions. In...
One of our closest relationships in our lifetime is with our parents. And as our parents get older, they might need help. While every situation is different, it can be challenging to know the right approach to take when supporting them through their golden years. Here are a few practices to keep in mind: Always...
“Have couple friends, and do fun outings with them.” “Make sure you have a core group of girlfriends.” “Make play dates for your kids. Join a ‘mommy and me’ group.” We have so many people offering us this advice — not to mention the social media feed of happy couples doing happy things all of...
Because humans are complex creatures, wellness includes different dimensions of life that are all interconnected. When we look to reinforce and enhance our wellness, most people consider the physical realm as the highest priority. This dimension encompasses understanding your body as it relates to physical activity, rest and nutrition. As you might imagine, it involves...
A young girl, crouched down and curled in a fetal position, is a figure that appears in several creations by Allison Poster. The image clad in black and white is a raw representation that personifies a traumatic period in the life of the Dubuque artist. One piece shows her locked in a cage, immersed in...
Because humans are complex creatures, wellness includes different dimensions of life that are all interconnected. When we look to reinforce and enhance our wellness, most people consider the physical realm as the highest priority. This dimension encompasses understanding your body as it relates to physical activity, rest and nutrition. As you might imagine, it involves...
If I am going to be completely honest, I am sure that you are getting an overload from everyone in the health and fitness industry about setting your New Year’s resolution goals. I know. I have been in the industry, and for years, I have been front in center telling you how I am going...
If I am going to be completely honest, I am sure that you are getting an overload from everyone in the health and fitness industry about setting your New Year’s resolution goals. I know. I have been in the industry, and for years, I have been front in center telling you how I am going...
For the past couple of years, we’ve been witnessing the health and wellness industry shift more toward mind, body and spirit rather than just fitness classes and athleisure wear. In addition to spinning, fitness studios are adding in more classes with a focus on mindfulness. Yoga also has been gaining popularity as people are experiencing...
Hosting house guests during the holidays? For happier guests and hosts alike, you’ll want to be sure you’re equipped to accommodate all your over-nighters. Here are a few pointers: Special considerations You’ll likely know of any special considerations you will need to make for individual guests, but if you aren’t sure, ask in advance. For...
Work-life balance refers to balancing time for work and other areas of life, such as social time, self-care, family, leisure, etc. Without it, we become overwhelmed with stress, which can lead to poor health, poor productivity and, in general, unhappiness. Why are we always striving for this balance and never achieving it? Can we ever...
One of the most frequent questions that I am asked about caregiving is, “What should we do differently for the holidays when we are caregiving?” This is difficult because we place so much importance on tradition for the holidays. Our expectations typically are very high with the ultimate “Norman Rockwell” holiday as the goal. I...
I wish I could sit here and tell you how to entertain for the holidays, but I have to be honest with you. I am not a good host. I am not really creative at this point in my life. I don’t love when a lot of people are coming over. I am not a...
It has been said that change is the only constant in life. Change can be a deliberate choice we make, or it can be thrust upon us unexpectedly, such as in the loss of a loved one through death or divorce, the onset of a life-altering illness or the end a career due to downsizing....
When kids go back to school, the germs come out to play. It doesn’t help that there is an increased risk for illness as the months progress. School, colder weather, holidays and diets can play a role in decreased immune function during the fall and winter. One of the most frequent questions I’m asked in...
As we learn about ideal holiday gifts in this issue, it sparked a thought of what gifts that caregivers need. Caregivers need the gift of time. This is one of the most generous and supportive things you can offer the caregiver. Consider dedicating an hour per month or an hour per week to plug in...
Your heart starts pounding. You have a sense of impending dread. A wave of nausea takes over and you begin to feel lightheaded. The thought of buying a special gift for a special someone sends you into a tailspin. Put those anxiety-inducing thoughts aside. Art often is thought of as the niche of the rich...
I don’t know about you, but every year when the gift-giving season approaches, I think to myself, “How am I going to cut back on my expenses? I know: I am going to put a lot of thought into gift-giving, and I am going to enjoy the season.” Then, as it approaches, I think of...
From the time you learn how to walk to later in life when you face challenges at school or work — or especially if you’re riding a horse. It’s become a cliche. “If you fall, get back up, shake it off and try again.” Nowhere, perhaps, is that advice more appropriate than in ice skating....
Unfortunately, too many of us know someone — a family member, friend or colleague — who is affected by breast cancer. In fact, breast cancer accounts for nearly one in three cancers diagnosed in U.S. women, according to the American Cancer Society. Since there is no cure for breast cancer, more needs to be done...
There is no end to the things we have yet to do. There is no final goal. Any accomplishment usually is followed by another door opening another challenge. It’s inevitable. You think you might have achieved your final goal — like getting engaged or married, or getting a coveted new job or losing 25 pounds...
Reflexology is an ancient therapy that has been used around the world for thousands of years, traced back to ancient Egypt, China, India, Japan and Korea. Today, it can be found in health care systems of many countries including Great Britain, China, South Africa, Denmark and the United States. Reflexology is described by many people...
One of the most important responsibilities in caregiving is to be the sunshine in someone’s storm. It is far from easy, but I work with hundreds of women who do just that every single day. Did you know that 65% of family caregivers are female? The average female caregiver provides up to 20 hours of...
If it weren’t for the services of Opening Doors in Dubuque, a women by the name of “Q” most likely would have taken longer to get her life back on a positive path. “Opening Doors offers hospitality and opportunity to homeless women, alone or with children, who need emergency, transitional or permanent housing and related...
When you find peace within yourself, you will find peace floating all around you. What does that mean? As a woman in this world, it can be so easy to try to live up to all of these crazy expectations of what other’s say beauty is. But beauty lies within. It took me many years...
Did you know that our ancestors did not eat every two hours? Did you know that they did not eat low-carb, low fat, low this and low that diets? No, they didn’t. And you can look back at pictures from the old days and see how most of them do not have much extra weight...
Proper diet isn’t just about what we’re eating. It’s about everything that we’re consuming in our lives, from the way we move to our relationships, satisfaction with career, spirituality and our connectedness to the world around us. I’ve spoken with many women who know what they should be eating and how they should be moving...
One of the most important and many responsibilities in caregiving is to make certain that you optimize your loved one’s enjoyment in food, and ultimately, impact their favorable nutrition. Your loved one might be experiencing some changes with their appetite, and/or a health condition might be interfering with their desire to eat. The secret to...
Everyone thinks that caregiving is something that comes naturally to us when it is needed. The reality is that it requires a very disciplined specific skill set. Some of the skills needed are inherent, but others require specific education and study. So, off to school we go to learn that very specific knowledge. Learn all...
When it comes to column writers, personality is everything. If you spend time around Addie Graffin, it doesn’t take long to find out she has plenty of it. The 38-year-old who lives in Platteville, Wis., wears many hats. She is a stay-at-home mom to two sets of twins, ages 3 and 5; a wife; a...
It’s the time of year for many to think back-to-school. But what about also thinking back-into-fitness? Fall is the time of year for many to resume a regular routine and look for indoor fitness options and regular nutritious meals. But with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. This...
Taking care of the people around them is almost every woman’s first priority. This “second shift” tends to lean toward women in many homes all over the world. Women often are the household workers. They are the main caretaker for children, the planners and the cleaners. All of these tasks can lead not only to...
What can you do to help empower women caregivers? Did you know that women are caregivers in 85 to 95% of cases? In order to reduce the burden of caregiving on women, there is a need for the community to find ways to creatively offer a hand. There are several kind and simple actions that...
Americans are known to overeat, abuse credit cards, marinate for hours on social media and break New Year’s resolutions before the end of January. Self-discipline doesn’t seem to be a strength. And achieving it — and the success that can come with it — might never have been harder than it is in this instant-gratification...
As a child growing up in Montreal, Stephanie Helmer, M.D., unknowingly prepared to be a heart surgeon by practicing the cello. “If you’re preparing for a performance, every note has to be perfect and everything has to sound right,” Helmer said. “You go over phrases until it’s perfect, or as close to perfect as you...
People often don’t realize that there are distinct stages of caregiving. Caregivers ask me early on in the process how we can best prepare to begin caregiving. In many ways, this is the most important step. As with anything in life, you have to ready yourself for that role. And these decisions are not straightforward...
